Apple TV Just Raised Its Price to $14.99. Is It Still Worth It?

Apple TV raised its subscription price today. Monthly plans go from $12.99 to $14.99. Annual plans go from $99 to $119. The Apple One individual bundle — which includes Apple TV alongside Music, Arcade, and iCloud+ — rises from $19.95 to $21.95 per month.

The new prices apply to new subscribers immediately. Existing subscribers will receive roughly one month’s notice before the increase hits their accounts.

This is Apple TV’s fourth price increase in four years. When the service launched in 2019, it cost $4.99 per month. It has now tripled in price. That’s a number worth sitting with before deciding whether to stay or go.

Why Apple Keeps Raising Prices

Apple TV has never disclosed its subscriber numbers. It has also never been profitable — reports from The Information suggested the service loses more than $1 billion per year, making it the only part of Apple’s services business that isn’t in the black. Price increases are the clearest path to closing that gap without cutting content.

Apple is also not alone. Netflix raised prices in March. Peacock increased its rates earlier this month — making it the most expensive ad-supported streaming tier in the US. Disney+, Max, Paramount+, and almost every other major streamer have raised prices in the past 18 months. The era of loss-leader streaming pricing is definitively over. Every platform is now trying to get to profitability on its own, and subscribers are bearing the cost.

Apple’s position within this landscape is slightly unusual. It has no ad-supported tier. It doesn’t license content to other platforms. It doesn’t rely on library volume. Its entire bet is on a small number of extremely high-quality original productions — and it has been willing to spend heavily to produce them.

What You’re Actually Paying For

The content case for Apple TV has strengthened considerably over the past year. A few highlights worth knowing:

• Severance remains one of the most acclaimed drama series on any platform. Season 3 is confirmed.
• Ted Lasso returned after a long hiatus and is midway through what is shaping up to be a strong final season, with a finale set for October 7.
• Widow’s Bay was this year’s most Emmy-nominated freshman series — a breakout hit that significantly raised the platform’s profile.
• The Studio, a Hollywood satire starring and directed by Seth Rogen, earned strong reviews and a second season renewal.
• Formula 1 rights in the US landed with Apple TV this year — live race coverage is now part of the subscription.

Coming up before year-end: a Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson comedy called Brothers (September 23), a serial killer drama called Nocturne starring Liev Schreiber (October 30), and a bank heist thriller with Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan called 12 12 12 (November 13). There’s also a Ryan Reynolds spy comedy on the film slate.

Apple TV viewership hit an all-time high last quarter, according to Apple executives — though as always, without specific numbers to attach to that claim, it’s hard to know exactly what that means.

How It Compares to Rivals at the New Price

At $14.99 per month, Apple TV sits in the middle of the streaming market — no longer the clear cheapest option, but not at the top either.

Apple TV offers less content by volume than all of those competitors. It has no extensive library of older shows or films. What it offers is a curated, mostly excellent slate of originals — and, now, Formula 1 live sports. Whether that’s worth $14.99 is a question of personal taste more than objective value.

Is the Annual Plan Worth It?

If you’re a committed Apple TV subscriber with no plans to cancel, the annual plan at $119 now saves you $60.88 compared to paying monthly — a 30% saving. The catch is that it locks you in. If you’re uncertain about staying, monthly gives you the flexibility to cancel without losing paid-up time.

One smart move: if you’re considering the annual plan, check whether you’re eligible for Apple One instead. The Apple One individual plan at $21.95 per month bundles Apple TV with Apple Music ($11.99 standalone), Apple Arcade ($6.99), and 50GB iCloud+ ($0.99). If you use any of those other services, the bundle is substantially better value than paying for Apple TV alone.

The September 9 Context

It’s worth noting the timing. Apple is holding a major hardware event on September 9 — where it is expected to announce the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and potentially its first foldable iPhone. New hardware typically drives a short-term spike in Apple ecosystem engagement, and the timing of a price increase immediately before a major launch is unlikely to be coincidental. Subscribers frustrated by the increase will likely find their attention redirected to new device announcements within two weeks.

For now: if you’re a new subscriber, the new price is what you’ll pay. If you’re an existing subscriber, you have about a month before the increase reaches your bill. For more on Apple’s current product lineup, see our coverage of the new Mac mini M6 launch from earlier this week.

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